It's not really the album of the month anymore, because I couldn't get this together for a month -- even though my correspondents sent me their stuff quite a while ago.
Anyway, It's about The Hold Steady's latest this time around.
Talk about your early notice. This one doesn't happen till late March.
From a publicists' e-mail:
>Vassar is playing a hometown show to benefit The Miller Home
>Nashville, TN (December 23, 2008) – Universal Records South’s Phil Vassar is returning to his hometown of Lynchburg, VA on March 27, 2009 to perform a benefit concert for The Miller Home. The benefit concert will take place at the E.C. Glass High School Auditorium starting at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available by visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
>With two young girls of his own, Vassar understands the importance and necessity of The Miller Home; a safe haven for young girls ages four through 18. “I have always had a passion for helping children. I also have always believed that charity begins at home,” states Vassar. He has special ties to the Miller Home not just as a Lynchburg native but remembers visiting The Miller Home as a young child to sing for the residents. “I wanted to step up and give something back to the community I grew up in and still love.”
Vassar is giving 100% of the proceeds from the show to the Miller Home and is encouraging everyone to join him in supporting this wonderful institution in Lynchburg. They survive solely on private funding so in the spirit of the Holiday season your generous ticket purchase will not only benefit the girls of The Miller Home but you will also be treated to an energetic and captivating performance by Lynchburg’s own hometown star, Phil Vassar.
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This got past my radar, but it's happening tonight, so go!
The Worx and Burning Bridges play a benefit at 8 p.m. for Brook Smith, whose battle with a rare, incurable form of cancer we chronicled in this story. Show is at The Mix, 16 Campbell Ave., downtown Roanoke. Pony up a little cash, and help Smith as she attempts to seek new treatments for alveolar soft part sarcoma.
Not that you don't have some idea about what's up with the Magic Twig Community, The Bastards of Fate and the Situationist -- at least if you're into the local music scene. But for the paper's annual "Whatever happened to ...?" series, I caught up with the acts, in their new rehearsal space.
Here's the link -- http://www.roanoke.com/news/wht/wb/188540
If you're venturing from the house on Dec. 31, are you going to hear live music? If so, who?
Moshing at The Water Heater | Courtesy Refuge
It took me some time to finally get over to Market Street Pub, in downtown Roanoke. I had heard good things about it and figured going to the Barefoot West and Corey Hunley show would be a good idea on Friday night.
And of course, the act was good. BW is a laid-back, funky unit that is kicked up at least a couple notches by Hunley's excellent guitar playing. But Friday night was an even better situation -- Hunley's longtime Franklin County homeboy, Matt Powell, was in from his recent home base, Austin, Texas. Those two play really well together, and Friday night was no different.
My only problem was the room they were playing. One side of the pub is a bar, some tables, some TVs playing sports. The other side is where the bands play. Not a bad setup, but whose idea was it to leave the lights on in the performance space. It was like watching a show at a rec center festooned with orange paint and throwback jerseys.
So c'mon, Market Street Pub -- turn down the lights!
On Sunday, the Water Heater hosted Refuge's benefit show for Spuknof's bassist, T.J. Johnson, who died recently. There was a can full of money and a table full of toys in the room for Johnson's wife and child.
It was an all-ages, free, show, and there was a pretty wide age demographic. Opening act Nancy and Two Meteors grooved the post-industrial thing. Affliction Kid rocked well and were really tight.
Spuknof took the floor with a new bassist, listed on the band's myspace page as William Ferguson Peabody Gustoff Radison the 14th, aka Markus, aka Karkus (do you guys really have to make it such a long name?). Anyway, the band was really good and energetic, though so loud that the Water Heater's owners (who also live upstairs) got a little nervous. Everything turned out cool, though.
What did I miss this weekend?
I came in this morning and saw that my column wasn't online. Here it is now.
Typically, I wouldn't worry too much about it, but I promised to post streaming audio of two cool songs -- My Radio's "Angel in the Choir," and Poe Mack and Jane L. Powell's collaboration on Mack's "My Dreams." Go check them out.
Highlights include The Urban Sophisticates, Simplified, The Royal Greens, TK-421
Two words -- Delta Moon! And plenty of good local talent, including Brittany Sparks with her new act, Sparks Will Fly.
Courtesy of friend, newspaper colleague and old-time musician Mike Gangloff:
> ... let me begin the hype for a Jan. 15 show by CHARLIE PARR in Roanoke. Regular readers will know our regard for his music, and we're really excited about this show, which will be at Kirk Avenue Music (now Kirk Avenue Music Hall. -- cNs), a listening room as opposed to a bar. The Black Twig Pickers will play some role in the show, and others will as well. This will be Charlie's only appearance this side of Charlottesville, so save the date on whatever you use to remind you about things.
> Here's a slightly blown-out clip of Charlie playing "1922":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ijfn_bTF3fY
> and one of "King Earl": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sHJLoLdBz0
Thanks, Mike. I saw Parr on a double-bill with the Twigs a couple years ago, down at The Cellar, Blacksburg. He really is a fine player.
